How you can Motivate your customers to buy your product!

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via ANKWD - Welcome to the gateway of Citizen Journalism! by divya on 9/21/08

Whenever a product is launched, the obvious motive behind it is profit. And that profit would come only if the product sells more than its competitors in the market. So it is very important to understand what factors motivate a customer to buy a product. You need to find out what the customer wants your product to accomplish in their life. How it will make them feel in owning it? Does it make them look intelligent to their neighbors? Does it make them sexier to their mate? Or does it help them to accomplish other goals by saving them money? What is this really doing to affect the quality of their life either directly or indirectly?

The first and foremost thing that motivates a customer is the need for the product. Customers will satisfy their need by selecting the best available solution that they can find; at the time they need it. You have to convince your consumer that they need your product. A company selling exercising equipment advertises by highlighting the dangers of over-weight. Beauty products are sold by targeting the “marriageable section of society”. Anti-infectants try to strike the soft emotions of a mother. People buy life insurance because they fear dying prematurely and leaving their family financially strapped. So your product should be such that it generates an essence in the lives of the customer. Present problems and offer solutions. Early on in your offer is a great place to do this. Outline a problem that your target audience is probably facing and then point out how your product provides the solution. Present luxuries and offer opportunities. The flipside to that coin is to present something that triggers their passion and offer them a chance to obtain it.

The next thing to attract a customer is the value of the product. There are two basic ways that we judge value; Quantity and Quality. Who would not be enticed by offers like “Two for the price of one. Buy one get one free.” These are nothing but ways of providing more quantity for the same price. And that, in a lot of cases, is a determining factor as to how valuable something is.

Then is the quality of product. There are a lot of people who would pay a premium because of quality. People don’t mind shelling out some extra bucks simply because a product is of higher quality. That is how a ‘Rado’ differentiates itself from a ‘Titan’; there is a separate segment of customers for an ‘Armani’ or a ‘Luis Vitton’.

Value is closely related to the sale of products on the basis of recognition. People buy things because of name recognition. People buy things because of familiarity. They feel more comfortable in owning something which is widely recognized. Judge it for yourself. You go to the store to buy a tooth brush. There is a Colgate and a new brand lying on the same shelf. What would your instinct tell you to pick knowing the fact that it is for your precious teeth and has to be used daily?

And finally, the icing on the cake goes to presentation. With the proper presentation of your offer, you can conquer all other laws at the same time. You can trigger the need, provide value, build expectation for your product; if you learn to present your offer the right way, then selling is the easy part. Go to Rodeo drive in San Francisco (it is the most expensive street in San Francisco) and you will be amazed at how all the top brands have gone out of their way to display their products. They entice you the moment you step onto that road.

If you find out what a customer’s true motivation is by finding out what their values and beliefs are you can design an individual sales presentation. You can then determine how to sell specific features about your product or service to this unique person based on ideas that you know will determine a more positive outcome for both you as well as the customer.